If you know anyone discerning their next life steps, Global Teach has many teaching ministry opportunities. Specifically, applicants are needed for the Central Europe Teachers’ Program. Visit the personnel link for more info.
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People fleeing for their lives, surrounded by walls of flame. The fury of Mother Nature tearing through everything in its path. That was the scene in Paradise, Calif., on the morning of Nov. 8, 2018.
One week prior to the fire, the congregation of Paradise Lutheran had completed the renovation of old classrooms into housing quarters and a communal living space. Although the church’s parsonage, garage and toolsheds burned to the ground, the church building itself was mainly spared.
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The ELCA is saddened by the all-too-frequent occurrences of gun violence in the U.S. We invite you on a journey of prayer, scripture, stories and church teachings with this resource, "A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence."
Together through daily observances, it calls us to work toward the prevention of gun violence as people of God who strive for justice and peace in all the world. It may be used for individual reflection, group Bible study, adult education sessions, and congregational daily devotions. Your journey is intended to start on June 16th, but this resource can be used at any time.
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Watch this ELCA video to see what the ELCA and LWF are doing to accompany and assist migrants deported from Mexico and the US. More info at: elca.org/ammparo
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ELCA Advocacy has provided their June 2019 update, with advocacy action updates from: U.N. | California | Colorado | Kansas | Minnesota | Nevada (news from LEAN!) | New Mexico | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Washington| Wisconsin
William Ledford, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) writes in part: “LEAN has been very active this month given that our legislature only meets for a few months every two years and that we are currently at the end of the last month of the session.”
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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shares what it means to be called, "For such a time as this," in her 2019 video message to ELCA Synod Assemblies.
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Please hold the following Bishops and Synods in your prayers as they gather for their synod assemblies on the following dates:
Bishop Mark Narum, Western North Dakota Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Roger Gustafson, Central States Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Wayne Miller, Metropolitan Chicago Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop John Roth, Central/Southern Illinois, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Tracie Bartholomew, New Jersey Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Jim Dunlop, Lower Susquehanna Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Pedro Suarez, Florida-Bahamas Synod, June 6-8, 2019
Bishop Richard Jaech, Southwestern Washington Synod, June 7-8, 2019
Bishop Jon Anderson, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, June 7-8, 2019
Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt, Southern Ohio Synod, June 7-8, 2019
Bishop Robert Humphrey, Virginia Synod, June 7-8, 2019
Bishop Larry Wohlrabe, Northwestern Minnesota Synod, June 7-9, 2019
Bishop Terry Brandt, Eastern North Dakota Synod, June 9-10, 2019
Please pray for the Central States Synod, Metropolitan Chicago Synod, New Jersey Synod, Lower Susquehanna Synod, Southwestern Washington Synod, Southern Ohio Synod, and Northwestern Minnesota Synod as they elect a bishop.
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Sobering news was released in May by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Using a team of 455 authors from 50 countries, IPBES spent three years reviewing 15,000 government and scientific sources to come to the assessment that one million species of plants and animals (roughly one in eight species in the whole world) are threatened with extinction, many within decades. Read the full blog post »
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I graduated from high school and asked myself the question, “What’s next?” While I knew that I would still have the network of friends and mentors who had supported my faith development, I also recognized that my graduation meant that I was no longer a “Youth” of the church. Instead, I was a “Young Adult” of the church.
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Our advocacy in light of disasters intensified by climate change brought together a group of faith and community leaders for an event hosted in Washington, D.C. by ELCA Advocacy in the spring of 2019. The challenge may be seismic, but the Rev. Amy E. Reumann offered insight and guidance on contemporary issues and scriptural and church resources, preparing us to care in this storm.
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Learning the history of the Lutheran church is not complete without exploring the rich history of the African descent Lutheran movement. The black Lutheran church began as early as 1620 by most accounts.
In this episode of Three Sides, host Shanna Crawford spoke with Lutheran historian Dr. Richard Stewart, Pastor Lucille Mills and Pastor Albert Starr about the early years of African descent Lutherans, what’s happening in the church today and what the future holds. Learn more about Dr. Stewart’s research and a more detailed history on his blog, and listen to the podcast.
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On May 15, ELCA members and the Racine (Wis.) Interfaith Coalition called for just immigration reform at an evening prayer vigil held outside the Kenosha County Detention Center. Read the full story in Living Lutheran and see the video on ELCA’s YouTube channel.
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Watch the ELCA’s 2018 in Review on their YouTube channel. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person--questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world.
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Children coming to our nation for safety and protection are still dying at our southern border while in U.S. detention.
I am deeply dismayed by the deaths of these children, made in the image of God, who came to our southern border as refugees and asylum seekers to ask us for protection. As a nation we denied them that safety, instead placing them in detention facilities, sometimes for months.
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New resources for observing Migrant and Refugee Sunday are now available. The all-new resources for Migrant and Refugee Sunday include commentaries written by former refugees for preaching on the lessons for Pentecost, a Pentecost/World Refugee Day Litany, Prayer Petitions for June, and other worship and education materials that will be updated each month. Check out the website www.lirs.org/migrant-refugee-sunday
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Over Memorial Day Weekend, tornadoes continued to rip through the central United States. Lutheran Disaster Response is providing immediate and long-term relief. View a PDF version of the report. Be a part of the response:
Pray: Please pray for the communities who were impacted by these destructive tornadoes. Give: Gifts to “U.S. Tornadoes” will be used to until the response is complete. Connect: Share this bulletin insert with your congregation; sign up to receive alerts; check the LDR blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
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These petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church. Download a Word doc, or PDF for letter size printout or legal size printout, or view the ELCA resource page.
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I was officiating at the wedding of two of our Clemson University alumni. Their friends stood up to make remarks – all of which were glowing and emotional. Some of these had gone to Clemson, so they included a “Go Tigers!” in their comments. Then there was the admission from one that she attended a college in the SEC Conference rather than the ACC. (College football rivalries are important in the South.) These exchanges were good natured and humorous; some such exchanges are not. Our country seems to be in a phase were name-calling and belittling have ceased to be taboo.
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May Update: Advocacy Connections from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director. This May wrap-up includes updates on Disaster Aid Bill, Central American Minors Program, Affordable Housing in the Federal Budget, Foreign Assistance to Northern Triangle, Global Conflict Prevention.
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